Reliability & cost of ownership
Harley-Davidson Road King Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Harley-Davidson Road King? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Harley-Davidson Road King problems by model year
1 recall entry and 25 owner complaints on file across 4 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Road King | 1 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Road King | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Road King | 0 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Road King | 0 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Harley-Davidson Road King, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system4 complaints
- service brakes4 complaints
- hydraulic4 complaints
- suspension4 complaints
- equipment3 complaints
- wheels2 complaints
- engine and engine cooling2 complaints
- fuel system2 complaints